By Khalida Sarwari
Producing a balanced budget despite state financial cutbacks, continuing to provide high quality education for transfer students and those working for career certificates, and settling negotiations with bargaining groups are among the goals of the West Valley-Mission Community College District board of trustees this year.
The seven-member board is in the midst of an election year and come November there will be a few shake-ups as three trustees are up for re-election. Buck Polk and Chad Walsh have not yet announced their election plans, but longtime trustee Jack Lucas, who begins another term as the board president this year, said he intends to run for a fourth term.
“I enjoy being on the board. The interactions with people … it’s very satisfying,” Lucas said. “And I cut my teeth on education.”
Lucas was elected to the board in November 2002 after a 57-year career as a high school teacher and principal and serving in various capacities in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District. He took over for outgoing president Nick Heimlich, who remains on the board as a trustee.
Lucas, a longtime Monte Sereno resident, has also served five terms as mayor on the Monte Sereno City Council. “I’ve got a lot of government behind me,” Lucas said. “Some guys play golf, I do government.”
Aside from government, Lucas has been in education nearly his entire life. He received his bachelor of arts and master’s degrees from San Jose State University and holds a doctorate degree in education from the University of Oregon. Lucas currently works as an independent contractor for the district.
Board vice president Robert Owens was elected as a trustee in 2000. A resident of Santa Clara, Owens is a retired attorney who served as a deputy Santa Clara county counsel for 19 years. He graduated from Santa Clara University with degrees in law and civil engineering.
Trustees Karl Watanabe, Adrienne Grey and Heimlich will reach the end of their terms in 2016.
The West Valley-Mission Community College District Board of Trustees serves West Valley College in Saratoga and Mission College in Santa Clara.
For more information about the district and the board of trustees, visitwvm.edu/.
